Exodus
by MaelynMcRey
Summary: Cinnamon brown eyes met ice gray as she was pushed past him. There was something vaguely familiar about those eyes.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Thanks to MAGGS for an _awesome_ beta job, what more could I expect from a fellow LOST fanatic?

The following story is based on an idea I got from an episode of LOST called _Solitary_, which tells part of the background story of Sayid. Those of you familiar with the show may recognize bits of dialogue that I have "Potter-fied."

**Disclaimer:** I don't own a single part of this, I am doing it simply for my own amusement, as well as, I hope, yours as well.

xxxxxxx

1.

Draco Malfoy stood with his legs slightly spread and his arms folded behind his back. He regarded the subject in front of him calmly.

"Do you want me to stop?" he snarled, bending down to the man's ear. The man nodded. "Then start answering my questions," he hissed and paused to let his words sink in, "because I can do this all day."

The man in the chair, his hands bound behind his back, blood dripping from various wounds, said nothing.

"I assure you we already know the truth and if you admit it all, the pain will stop."

The man merely sniffed and said nothing, letting his tears fall.

"Your friends have already implicated you in the explosions. _You_ planted the device in the headquarters. _You _killed two of the Dark Lord's High Chiefs. Confess and perhaps it will only cost you your hands or your eyes instead of your life," Draco drew his wand and faced his subject, eying him menacingly. The man stifled a cry.

xxxxxxx

Draco Malfoy walked beside a man not much larger than he was, who wore the same robes but with two more skulls and three more stars than Draco had.

"He doesn't know anything. Your sources were wrong," Draco sighed.

"But that's really not the point is it?" his commanding officer replied. "You handled yourself very well in there."

"Did I?" Draco queried, merely looking ahead.

"I have put in a recommendation for your reassignment to the Intelligence forces, if you still wish to move."

"Yes sir. Absolutely," Draco stopped and eyed the other man, smirking.

"Good, and stop calling me sir when it is just the two of us."

"Ah but you are my superior officer, Renaldi. For now."

"Ah yes, for now." Tomasz Renaldi laughed quietly and returned Draco's smirk. He began to speak, but a figure being led by them distracted Draco. "That reminds me- in addition to your increased responsibilities, a promotion is commensurate with your move. That is, if you won't miss being a Guard."

Two guards were leading a prisoner whose hands were bound in front of her. Cinnamon brown eyes met ice gray as she was pushed past him. There was something vaguely familiar about those eyes. Her dark bronze hair was dirty, as were her face and robes, but Draco could tell she was an attractive woman. He also realized he had not yet answered Renaldi.

"I suppose I am willing to make that sacrifice," he nodded, chuckling. He hated his work as a guard. Standing there day and night, watching doors, it was really quite boring.

"Good," Renaldi said and saluted him. Draco returned the salute and left.

xxxxxxx

Draco sighed as he entered his office and dropped his head down into his hands. He hated this- all of this. It had been nearly eight years since he'd left school and nearly been killed for _not _killing Dumbledore. Severus Snape had saved him from the Death Eaters then, but Snape was dead now. Snape had been discovered to be a spy for the Order and had been duly executed.

The Death Eaters then turned on Draco, thinking he was an Order spy as well. He was saved by Veritaserum, which proved he had not, in fact, been involved in any way with the Order. He had then been granted the lowly post of Death Eater messenger boy. He took the job because he wanted to live.

All too quickly, horrible things had happened. Voldemort had grown stronger and rose to power. With Dumbledore dead (this having been part of a plan by the Order which failed miserably), Voldemort and his followers had had no problems taking over the Ministry. He had the Giants, the Vampires, the Dementors, and other foul creatures all on his side.

Harry Potter had fled to Godric's Hollow. He and his friends had tried to fight against the Dark Lord, but with all of Voldemort's newly found alliances and the ease by which he controlled witches and wizards via the Imperius curse, battle for them. The last he'd heard of the 'wonder trio,' they'd fled to the States.

The Dark Lord had taken over almost all aspects of Wizarding life. Durmstrang had become his headquarters and the Ministry of Magic was his second home.

Hogwarts, its many secrets never having been broken by the Death Eaters, remained an Order strong hold. But the Order was dying out fast. It wouldn't be long until this war would end and Lord Voldemort would have complete control.

Attacks on Wizards and Muggles alike were fairly common these days. The foolish Muggles always suspected people from this country or that. The Wizarding war was quite well covered by the wars that were waged between the Muggles.

Draco had been a Messenger until he turned twenty. He was no longer a rich man living a life of luxury- he was poor and almost had to beg for food. It made him hate the cause he was working for all the more, but he knew he had nowhere else to go. His father had died in Azkaban and his mother had killed herself five years ago.

Before that, Narcissa had given Malfoy Manor over to the Dark Lord's services, leaving Draco and herself virtually homeless. Of course, Voldemort had allowed them to have the _servant's quarters. _

Draco moved up from Messenger to Prison Clerk because of his good behavior. He never went out of his way, but he always did as he was told. He knew better than to not do so. For the past two years, he had been a Guard in the dungeons of Durmstrang where the prisoners were kept.

He was looking at moving over into Intelligence and had been given a shot at interrogation. He found he was quite good at it. He wanted to go back to the comfortable life he had lived before the war, so, while he didn't really care for one side or the other, he played the part of the loyal Death Eater.

His thoughts strayed back to the woman he had seen being taken in. She seemed so very familiar. It had been a while since Draco had seen a reasonably attractive woman, any women at all for that matter; so he chalked his hazy recollections down to that fact and let it go.

Women weren't something he thought of often, these days. Saving his hide and staying in his commander's good graces were the only things that mattered now. Sometimes he thought it might be better if he just got it over with and died somehow- let himself be killed by a prisoner or something. But he couldn't get it out of his head that someday, somehow, things would get better and life would be worth living again.

xxxxxxx

Ginevra Weasley Wood had been through much since the days when she'd last seen the ice gray eyes that caught her attention as she was led into the prison. The last time she'd seen those eyes was the night of Dumbledore's death when she had been almost sixteen.

She'd heard the story over and over again from Harry about how Draco Malfoy had been unable to kill Albus Dumbledore. He'd told her how he'd seen Malfoy crying in a bathroom not too many months earlier. Moaning Myrtle had also told her stories of Malfoy. She'd asked Harry and Myrtle to repeat their stories several times because it confirmed what she'd always thought- Draco Malfoy was not evil.

Then there was Harry- The Boy Who Lived. Their relationship had changed drastically in the past eight years. They had broken up, much to her dismay at the time, at Dumbledore's funeral. Harry had disappeared to Godric's Hollow with Hermione and Ron. Now he was somewhere in the States, rounding up the wizarding community there and planning some form of attack.

Ginny had been left to run with the Order. It was there that she had been introduced to Oliver Wood. She knew of him from Quidditch, of course. Their relationship had quickly escalated and they had married when she was seventeen. They had managed to live quite happily for three years through Voldemort's reign of terror under the cover of the Order at Hogwarts, which had turned from a school into a fortress.

Oliver had been killed when Ginny was merely twenty, at the hand of Weldon Nott, Theodore Nott's older brother. His death had been a random act of violence but Nott had not been punished because it was Voldemort's people who ran the Ministry of Magic now.

And here she was at Durmstrang, the Death Eater stronghold. Ginny had let herself be foolishly captured while trying to spy. She did know about the explosions in a section of Durmstrang but there were many things about it she did not know. It was better that she didn't.

She sighed and tried to look un-affected as the guards shoved her unceremoniously into an uncomfortable chair in a small, dimly lit dungeon. They left her and slammed the metal door.

She looked around her. This was nothing that she wasn't used to. She was not intimidated.

The dirt floors and cold stone walls were more like home to her than these idiots would ever know. She had been in places like this before and had learned she had nothing to fear, not even death. She believed in her cause and was not opposed to sacrificing her life, as many had done before her.

Ginny knew that within a matter of minutes, someone would be in here to interrogate her. She knew this person would use force and pain if necessary. At the start of this particular spy mission, she had resigned herself to the fact that this time could be the last time. And that was okay.

In a corner of her mind, her thoughts once again drifted the blond with ice gray eyes whom she had seen in the corridor. Draco Malfoy looked as handsome as ever, but burdened and tired as well.

She'd heard what had happened to him after that fateful day- he'd run off with Snape and nearly been killed. He'd been spared the once, and was accused a few years later of being a spy for the Order. He was cleared once again and allowed to remain in his menial job within the Death Order ranks.

Ginny knew Draco's family had given up their mansion and taken to the servant's quarters in order to please Lord Voldemort. She knew his father died alone and in pain at Azkaban and that his mother had taken her own life with a dagger. Draco Malfoy had been reduced to doing dirty work. It showed in his face. She wondered if she would see him again during her stay here.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to _Maggs_ for an excellent beta!

xxxxxxx

2.

The following day, Renaldi and Malfoy walked down the dungeon corridor talking about his first official interrogation subject. Yesterday had been a trial, a trial in which Draco had performed very well.

"We cannot tie this 'Ginevra Wood' directly to the explosion, but we know where her sympathies lie. She is a member of the Order of Phoenix and has been an accomplice of a group which calls themselves Dumbledore's Army."

"So you think she knows who orchestrated the explosions?" Draco asked, hands behind his back, mentally preparing himself for another interrogation.

"That, my friend, is exactly what you will find out," Renaldi smiled and put a hand on Draco's shoulder. Draco nodded as they came to a stop outside the dungeon that held his next subject.

Renaldi left and the guards outside of the door nodded to Draco. He turned the doorknob and stepped inside. There was a young woman sitting in the chair in the middle of the dank, cold room. He lit his wand brightly and held it to her face, blinding her until her eyes adjusted from the dark to the harsh light.

"Ginevra Wood, I'm going to ask you some questions. If you refuse to cooperate, I am going to hurt you. Do you understand?" He asked regally, placing his parchment on a small table and waiting to write her remarks.

"Nobody calls me 'Ginevra,' Malfoy. You of all people should know that," Ginny said as she looked up him, squinting in the light from his wand.

Draco looked up suddenly. "What? You don't remember me? Am I so different from the little girl in the corridors of Hogwarts who used to hex you until bats flew out of your nose?"

Draco frowned, bending down slightly so he could look into her face. "Weasley?"

"Yes- Ginny Weasley."

"But… this says you're called Wood now?"

"Yes. I was married to Oliver Wood. I have been a widow for three years now."

Draco frowned again, but he was slightly impressed. He'd never liked any of the Gryffindors but he had admired Wood's Quidditch skills.

"Remember all the times someone would send hexes your way in the corridors or in the Great Hall? And you had no idea who it was?"

"That… that was you?" he half-smiled, remembering the tripping jinxes and gale force winds that would blow his books out of his hands, etc.

"My friends would ask 'why must you pick on Draco Malfoy?' And I would answer, 'because he ignores me.'"

Draco thought about this. He realized that he had ignored her. He always messed with her brothers, Potter, even the Granger girl. But he left Ginny alone. Even after the nasty bat-bogey hex his fifth year, he had not extracted revenge.

"You had enough attention with all of your friends… and your charm," he said, adding that last part without thinking about it. He knew Ginny Weasley had been popular at school. Boys from his own house had made remarks about her looks, and girls from his house had been jealous of her- especially that idiot Pansy Parkinson.

"Such things matter little to children, but then you always were older than your years, weren't you, Malfoy?" she said, smiling sweetly.

Draco smirked. It seemed she was going to attempt to use her charm on him now. "And here you are, in trouble with dark people," his demeanor changed to the business at hand. "Tell me what you know about the explosions, Ginny."

Ginny simply smiled and looked Draco squarely in the face.

"Tell me or I swear I will hurt you," Draco warned.

"Oh, I know you will, Malfoy. This is not my first interrogation by Death Eaters." Ginny lifted her bound hands and pulled her robes away from her shoulder. Not understanding what she was doing but curious, Draco moved his wand so he could see the bare skin she had uncovered. It was discolored and looked as though it had been melted.

"This is where they burned me with acid- a Muggle liquid," she said coolly. She put out her hands, palms up and he could see dark scars in the middle. "They pierced my hands with curses. Would you like to see the soles of my feet? Where they flayed the skin off?" she challenged. "These are the handiworks of your friends, the people you swear allegiance to. They are using Muggle torture methods, yet they claim to hate Muggles and muggle-borns."

Draco winced, trying to mask his disgust at both what had been done to her and what methods were being used. The Death Eaters had punished him before, here and there for minor infractions. "If you were innocent…" he paused, he had been about to say he was sorry. No, that would not do. "This explosion is a serious matter," he bent down to her, his eyes pleading for her to cooperate. He had no desire to torture her, but he would if he had too.

"Go on, Malfoy. Do your work. I'm not going to tell you anything," Ginny said calmly, not taking her eyes from his. He saw the defiance and resolve and realized she was telling him the truth. She would not tell him a thing. He would have to try force.

He pointed his wand at her and silently preformed Legilimency. He was inside her head easier than he thought. He saw himself, through her eyes. It looked like he was in his fifth year. They were in the Great Hall. He was currently taking a drink of his pumpkin juice and suddenly it was as if someone smacked the bottom of his glass and juice slammed into his face and dribbled down his chin as his glass struck the table and shattered. This event sent everyone around him into fits of laughter.

He could see himself looking around angrily, trying to find who'd done this to him. He could see her eyes move to focus back down on the book in front of her. He broke free of her mind. So she was exceptionally skilled in Occlumency then. She would let him see only what she wanted. He could try harder. But first, he found himself recalling his version of that memory.

As soon as he'd wiped the juice from his face with a cloth, he'd looked around scowling, for his hexer. His eyes had immediately landed on Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, who were all laughing madly. He had stood and stomped from the Great Hall, growling his revenge under his breath. Had he chosen to look around any further, he'd have seen Ginny Weasley, head buried in a book, the only person in the Great Hall who was _not_ laughing.

"Let me see what you know, Ginny. I can force this if necessary."

"I'm very skilled, Draco. And one does not always keep one's memories lying around for any old witch or wizard to see. That is why one has a good pensieve, you know," she grinned slyly at him.

"If you won't tell me and you won't let me see, then I am going to hurt you," he said and stood.

"I know."

xxxxxxx

Ginny lay on the cool dungeon floor, the blood from her nose now dried to her face. Blood from her other cuts had dried on her arms and legs as well.

Draco hadn't actually hurt her, though his wand hand been raised. He had been called away when it seemed there was a more pressing interrogation and someone else had taken over for him. This wizard had hit her repeatedly and kicked her. He had cut her with curses. Ginny never made a sound.

Draco returned and said he would take over. What he actually did was sit on the floor, across from where she lay sprawled, having been knocked out of her chair by the other interrogator.

"Draco, you can help me," she managed, through the spit and blood trailing from her mouth. "I know what is in your heart. I know you only do this because you think you have no choice."

Draco reached for his wand. "You know nothing!" he hissed, angry that she apparently did know.

"I know that you wouldn't kill Dumbledore. Not that you _couldn't_ but that you _wouldn't_," Ginny managed to get to a kneeling position.

"How do you…?"

"Harry was there, under an invisibility cloak. He had been petrified by Dumbledore and saw the whole thing. Dumbledore knew Harry might try to interfere, so he froze him. He saw everything."

Draco gaped, not having known this.

"He also said he had seen you crying in a bathroom one day. I befriended Moaning Myrtle and she told me things about you too- how you talked to her, confided in her, and cried to her. Hateful, dark people do not cry, Draco. Remorseful, good people cry," she whispered.

Bothered by her keen sense of him and the things she knew, even after all this time, he rose and left the room. She knelt on the floor, hands bound, dirty and hurting, but smiling. She knew that she had broken down a bit of that wall. And if she could break it entirely, she might just get out of here alive and be able to save Draco as well.

xxxxxxx

Ginny fell into sleep only to be awoken by the sound of the metal door creaking open. She rose to her knees and squinted, looking about. She could see his hair reflecting in the light from the hallway and his dreadfully obvious Malfoy nose: long, pointy, and aristocratic.

A cloth landed in her lap and she unwrapped it to find a piece of dry bread. As she was terribly hungry, she didn't care whether or not it was stale. She looked up at the figure she could barely see, as the dim light in the room had long since burnt out.

"Thank you," she said with her mouth full. She had been prepared to go at least a few days without food.

He snarled a reply that sounded like 'you're welcome,' and left.

xxxxxxx

The interrogations went on for the next few days as Draco tried to break into her mind, but could not see more than she was willing to show him. However, he did not let anyone else in the room with her and he did not hurt her further. He justified this to himself by thinking eventually she would grow to trust him and would tell him what she knew or let him in, either way would do the trick. Draco continued to sneak food and drink in to her when he could. This went on for what Ginny judged to be about a week.

Finally Ginny spoke. "Why are you doing this? I am not going to tell you or anyone else anything. And I have proven that you can take nothing. Why don't you just let them kill me?"

He was shocked by this suggestion and by the look he saw in her eyes. She was serious. "You… you want to die?" he asked quietly, kneeling in front of her.

"I am not afraid to die, if that is what you are asking," she nodded.

Draco thought this over in his head. The Ginny Weasley he had seen at Hogwarts had once been so lively and joyous. Her smile lit rooms. He remembered being thoroughly annoyed by her bell-like laughter, which echoed throughout the corridors and the Great Hall. He was actually probably quite jealous, he realized, having not near as much to laugh about as the carefree redhead.

He thought long and hard as neither one of them spoke. Finally she broke the silence. "I know what I see in you. You were given the chance once. I am offering it to you again. Come to our side, Draco Malfoy."

Hearing her say his full name took him by surprise. She seemed so honest, so sincere in her offer. "You can get me out of here. I know you can. I can take you with me. I know where our camp is and I can explain you to my compatriots," she said in a whisper, calm and firm.

Draco ran a hand through his hair, looking at the ground, not daring to look at her. He shook his head. "There is nothing I can do. I know that something big is about to happen and I don't think your side will win out. If I want to live, I have to stay where I am," he said and stood.

"But what are you living _for_?" she asked, pleading with him, knowing there could not be much.

Draco sighed and turned from her. "I…" he began but when he found himself about to apologize yet again, he turned and left her dungeon without looking back.

Over the next day or so Ginny continued to plead with Draco to help her, join her cause, set her free. He knew she would be good to her word and not let her side harm him, but he just didn't see the point. If he wanted to live, it was best to stay where he was. He just wanted it all to be over and hopefully go on to some semblance of a life, though part of him knew life would never be as it once was. He also had a plan and in order to see it through, he needed to remain where he was.

xxxxxxx

Draco opened the door to Ginny's chamber, once again carrying food in for her. It must have been early in the morning. He handed her another piece of dry, stale bread wrapped in cloth.

"I am sorry, this is all I could find. I'll try and bring you some fruit later on," he had kept bringing her food and water when he could manage it, hoping she would just comply. "Are you ready to talk?"

"That depends on what you'd like to talk about, Malfoy. Books? Weather? Since I've seen neither locked in this cell for weeks, I'm afraid my conversation will suffer."

"Ginny, we have two suspects in custody. Have a look at these photographs. All you need to do is nod. If you prove you are willing to cooperate, I think I can get them to free you," he knelt down in front of her, holding the two moving photos out to her.

Ginny slid one of her bound hands on to his, which were holding the photographs of two men she vaguely recognized, who were turning for the mug shots. "Then I won't have these visits to look forward to anymore," she smiled and he frowned.

"This isn't a game, Ginny."

"Yet you keep playing it, pretending to be something I know you're not," she said softly, looking into his eyes. He knew deep down that she was right. He did not understand how she knew and that frightened him even more.

He dropped his hands and his head, silently cursing himself as well as her as he stood. He left her without another word.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks to Maggs for fixing all my boo-boo's! You'll make me into a writer yet! This Chapter consists of a few moments of Draco and Ginny's past that need to be seen. xxxxxxx 

_June 1997_

Draco was running, blindly running for his life. Professor Snape and a few others were ahead of him and more still were behind him. His sides were aching, his hands were shaking, and breathing was getting more and more frantic.

His memory of what happened over the next few days is mostly a blur. He was taken to a place, he knew not where, and greeted by the Dark Lord, Voldemort himself. After being enduring multiple rounds of the Cruciatus curseand a severely painful Legilimency session, he was sent home to his mother. Later he would hear that Professor Snape's encounter with Voldemort had been similar to his own. Snape was allowed to live this first time because he'd done what Draco failed to do.

Draco spent a few days at home with his mother, mainly sleeping and eating very little. His mother came to him with the news that he would be given a position serving the Dark Lord, delivering messages or some other such menial task. One could not always trust the Owl Post in those days.

Draco accepted the position, fearing there was no other path, and did his job well. He wanted no more of what he had experienced after failing to kill Dumbledore. He never knew what was contained in the parchments and parcels he delivered. It was not his place to know. Gradually, his life was changing from a luxurious and pampered one to that one of drudgery.

Hogwarts did not reopen that fall and even if it had, Draco suspected he would not have been welcome. He had little to no contact with anyone aside from his mother and those he dealt with daily, delivering messages. There were no Owls from old school buddies; there were no snogging sessions with Pansy Parkinson, or any other girl, for that matter. This was not the life he'd imagined he'd have at seventeen.

He began to resent what had happened to him, what he had been forced into.

xxxxxxx

January 2000 

Narcissa Malfoy had given over use of Malfoy Manor to the Dark Lord upon her husband's death . Lucius had died in battle with an opponent while trying to flee Azkaban. Draco remembered the first time he had walked through the door of the small servant's quarters, which were in a separate from the rest of the house

It was a stormy afternoon and the small house was dark and quiet. "Mother?" Draco called. No answer. Draco saw a small flicker of candlelight coming from under the door that led to the loo. "Mother?" he called again, rapping lightly on the door.

There was still no answer. He bent down to look under the door. There was a crack about an inch high between the door and the floor . He thought he saw a body sprawled on the floor. Thinking his mother must have fainted, he quickly opened the door.

When he opened the door, the a dreadful sight met his eyes . His mother lay on the floor, in the middle of the small bathroom, dried blood dripping from her wrists. Gelled blood pooled to the sides of her arms, her eyes were glassy, and a small smile lay forever etched on her lips. The blade which had made the offending wounds lay beside her, just out of her reach.

"Mother! No! Mother!" he screamed and began to cry. "Oh mother! What have you done?" He knelt beside her and gathered the limp body in his arms. He hugged her head gently to his chest, ignoring the blood he was smearing across his robes. He clung to her and cried until it was night and the candle had burned out.

That night he had buried her in the manor's rose garden, the one she had loved so much and had enchanted to grow year round. Upon filling in his mother's grave, Draco fell to his knees, unleashing a primal scream.

'_Whoever is responsible for this will pay,'_ he thought as he collected himself.

Draco went back into the house at dawn, tired, covered with dirt and blood, tear-stained and feeling completely defeated. As he sat at the table in the small kitchen, he noticed a folded bit of parchment propped against a small, framed photo of what had been his family. It had his name written on the front. He grabbed it and flipped it open.

_My dearest boy,_

_I see no other way out than to do what I have done. I know this will affect you and for that I am sorry. But I am more sorry for the things that your father and I have done wrong. Leave this place, Draco. Leave here and never come back. Get as far away from the Dark Lord as you can. He is wrong. Everything he stands for is wrong. Serve him no longer, I beg of you. Go and live the life your father and I could not give you. I know that it is hard to understand right now, but I love you and your father did as well. We always did._

_Love,_

_Mother _

Draco reread the letter several times before comprehending what it said. He knew his mother had killed herself, yet some part of him had hoped that she had been forced to- the _Imperius Curse_ or something the like. But he knew from her letter she had done it of her own free will. The tears came once again, and in a fit of rage, Draco destroyed the few belongings scattered around the small room.

He stopped when he came back to the table and the framed picture of his family. It had been taken when he was eleven, getting ready to board the train to Hogwarts. His mother's arm was around him, and he and his mother were smiling and waving. His father was not smiling, a small sneer formed at the corners of his mouth. Yet Draco knew his father well enough to know that he had been happy that day, as his usual frown and snarl were missing.

Draco sobbed softly, slumping back down in his chair. He was truly alone now. His mother, the only person he had ever truly loved and the only person who had ever truly loved him- or ever would- was gone. Exhausted, Draco let his head drop to the table and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

xxxxxxx

October 1997 

Harry had been gone, along with Ron and Hermione, for nearly three months. Ginny and her parents were stationed in the Order Headquarters, at 12 Grimmauld Place. The Burrow was no longer safe.

Bill visited regularly, as did Fred and George, but Ginny was still lonely. She longed for school, and for her friends. She got owls every now and again from Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, and of course from Ron with Hermione and Harry adding a few words.

She was included in Order meetings although she was not of age. Her fighting at the Ministry at the end of her fourth year had shown everyone that she was not only ready, but also was willing and able. Thus, she frequently kept company with Remus, Tonks, Mad-Eye and others as well as her parents.

Oliver Wood came into the picture that October. Hogwarts was closed as a school, though many of the staff remained there, helping the Order. Ginny, her parents, and the other occupants of 12 Gimmauld Place had relocated and were now living in Hogwarts.

Oliver had left Puddlemere United, the Quidditch team on which he had played for a few years, once the war got into full swing that fall. He had sought to join the Order.

Ginny remembered the first time she set eyes on Oliver. He strode into the Great Hall of Hogwarts. He was as handsome as ever and she immediately noticed the vacant space on his left ring finger. She grinned inwardly, thinking of what a boy-crazy girl she really still was, given the current state of the world.

Oliver was introduced and then asked to take a seat. There was a seat open by Ginny, who was on the aisle near the front, and he took it. The rest, as they say, was history.

Although only sixteen, Ginny had the body of a more mature young woman. She was constantly training and Oliver had immediately noticed the long, toned legs that peeked from under her robes. They had struck up a conversation and stayed out in the entrance hall of Hogwarts talking well into the night after the meeting.

'So you just graduated then?' Oliver had asked, referring to the events of the summer.

Ginny tossed her head back, laughing. 'Gods no! I should be entering my sixth year but it looks like I am done with only five years under my belt.'

Oliver had gaped at her. 'So you're what, sixteen then?'

'Yes,' she smiled softly at him. 'Not quite what you had in mind?'

'Oh… no… not at all. I just meant, well it seems to me you are much more mature. I know a lot of girls my age who are just that- _girls_. You are more…' he hesitated.

Ginny grinned. 'Well, being the youngest of six, I suppose most people would think I would be a big baby but my brothers, man, they weren't easy on me! I guess I've just grown up fast.'

Oliver had nodded, not taking his eyes off her lips. He had leaned in and kissed her, a kiss that she had returned fervently.

Their relationship had escalated quickly. It had been impossible to keep it a secret so Oliver had gone to her parents to ask permission to court Ginny since she was still young. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had agreed.

For Christmas that year, she had given him her virginity and he had given her a promise of marriage, a promise he fulfilled just eight months later in August, shortly after her seventeenth birthday. By the time they had known one another for a year, they had been married for nearly two months. Ginny really did love him, more than she had ever loved any other, even Harry. Oliver made a wonderful, attentive husband.

Still, despite the perfect marriage, Ginny always felt there was something missing. She never told anyone and she hid those feelings well. She thought it was just the bad turn the world had taken. Each day, each month became worse as Voldemort's forces grew stronger.

xxxxxxx

November 2001 

Ginny would remember the eighth day of the eleventh month forever. It was the day she became a widow. Oliver had been out on a run to attack some Death Eater spies that Tonks had found. He had gotten into a duel with Weldon Nott and had severely wounded Nott just before Nott had performed Avada Kedavra on him.

Ginny had a rumble deep in her gut that day and she knew something had gone terribly wrong. She had paced the entrance to the Great Hall waiting for the return of the group Oliver had been with. When only Tonks, Remus, Seamus Finnegan, and Fred had returned, she darted from the corridor and headed towards the room she and Oliver shared in what had once been part of the Gryffindor dorms.

Fred and Seamus had left Oliver's body outside, not wanting Ginny to see Oliver in his current state. He needed to be cleaned up before the funeral. Ginny didn't leave her room for the rest of the day. She spent it instead covered up with a soft shirt of her husband's, breathing in his scent and sobbing over her loss.

The following day, Ginny had emerged, requesting to see Oliver's body and was taken to the hospital wing that also served as the morgue. Madam Pomfrey had made Oliver as presentable as she could, given the ordeal he had been through. Ginny gingerly took his limp hand and caressed it, murmuring under her breath that she loved him and that if she had it to do all over again, she would have loved him more, loved him better.

Ginny shrouded herself in black for Oliver's funeral and took comfort in those around her after having separated herself from them for the previous few days. She let her mother cradle her in what had been the Gryffindor common room. She received an owl with a letter of condolence from Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

By the next week, Ginny had shrugged off her grief and shrouded herself with anger. She spent a good deal of time training. The dueling room, as it had came to be known, was in a shambles as she left it, sweaty and red from her rage.

She went out on the next three missions in a row and came back with the deaths of four Death Eaters under her belt, and two in custody that she and Moody would interrogate. At only twenty, she was a widow, and a brutally good soldier.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks to Maggs for a great beta! Please R & R! Thanks!

xxxxxxx

4.

Draco sat in his small, cramped office with his feet propped on his desk. There were no windows, and the majority of his worldly possessions were either in this office or in the small room in which he slept. His eyes were closed as he recalled times gone by, happier times. He thought of his mother, of Quidditch, and he even thought fondly of his classes at Hogwarts.

Renaldi tapped on the doorframe and stepped in. "You must execute her."

Draco nearly fell out of his chair as he looked up. "What?"

"The Wood girl is not giving us anything. Her death will send a message to others who will not talk."

"I just need more time with her," Draco exclaimed, desperately clutching at his forehead with one hand. Since when did his job involve killing anyone?

Torturing he could take- mainly because many prisoners would give in or he could get into their minds and get the information needed. He hadn't necessarily known what happened to the prisoner after he was done with them. Until now, he hadn't cared.

"You have had two weeks, Draco. You are one of our best Legilimens. Now remove her from the dungeon and kill her, or I will," he paused seeing hesitation in Draco's eyes. "Is this a problem?"

"No. It is not a problem," Draco replied and stood, suddenly firmly resolved.

"Good. Let me know when it is done and we will send her body to her Order friends," Renaldi grinned wickedly.

xxxxxxx

Draco opened the door to Ginny's cell; the two guards remained outside as always. Ginny looked up at him and smiled softly.

"What did you bring me today?"

Draco didn't say anything or return her smile. He simply threw a piece of black material to her. She caught it, looking confused and horrified.

"Put it on," he ordered.

"Are you going to kill me, Draco?" she asked, barely whispering. He turned his head away and she knew the answer.

She pulled the black shroud over her head and stood. This was the moment she had been dreading, hoping against hope that it would not come but knowing it inevitably would.

Draco called for the two guards, who came in and escorted her. He walked carefully behind them down the corridor.

As soon as they were around a corner in a deserted hallway of the large, looming Durmstrang dungeons, Draco stepped in front of the guards.

"I'll take it from here, thank you," They nodded, saluted, and left.

As soon as the guards were gone, Draco grabbed Ginny by the arm and pushed her into a corner beside a door.

"What? What's going on?" Ginny gasped, frightened. Draco pulled the shroud from her head. She looked at him with wide, wet eyes and watched as he cut her hands free of their bindings with his wand.

"Twenty meters outside this door, there is a supply carriage that will be leaving shortly. They don't check them on the way out, only coming in. Get inside. Cover yourself any way that you can. They won't reach a town for nearly an hour. That will be enough time for you to jump out and hide," he whispered, clutching her shoulders and flicking his eyes back and forth between each of hers, searching for a sign that she understood.

"Come with me," she gasped, reaching out and clutching at the collar of his robes.

"I don't have your courage," he smiled. He had accepted his fate.

"You have more than you know," she replied hoarsely.

"Ginny, you have to go," he pleaded.

"Draco, what are you doing?" asked an all too familiar voice. Draco froze and turned from Ginny's terrified face.

Putting a hand where it could easily find his wand, Draco looked Renaldi squarely in the eye and said, "Don't."

Renaldi ignored Draco's warning and went for his wand crying, "Guard!" Renaldi was fast but Draco was faster.

"_SECTUMSEMPRA!"_ Draco cried, standing and pointing his wand towards his opponent. Ginny screamed as blood poured from the newly created slashes in the man's body. Draco threw up a quick ward around the deserted hallway to prevent anyone outside from hearing anything else.

"Draco! Now you have to come with me! They will kill you!" she cried as she grasped his arm with a shaking hand.

"No," he said, thinking quickly. "You escaped. You took my wand, and you cursed him. And then you tried to kill me," he began to point at one of his legs and whisper a curse. She grabbed his sleeve and stopped him. His head shot up to her.

"Draco! Come with me! You will be safe- I promise," her eyes were almost brimming with tears.

"Why? Why do you care?" he asked, more harshly than he meant. She shook her head impatiently and cracked the door open, still holding onto the sleeve of his robe.

Draco glanced around and saw no one coming. No one had heard his shouts or her scream. He looked once more into her eyes and pushed ahead of her, opening the door into the cloudy, black night.

The two figures headed for the abandoned supply carriage and hopped in the cargo carry in the back. Ginny was shivering under her robes. Having not planned this, Draco had not thought about grabbing any of his few possessions, much less any supplies. He noticed the boxes in the carriage with them.

Draco tapped Ginny's elbow lightly and gestured towards the boxes. "We can raid these for supplies," he whispered. She nodded, still shivering.

"When we jump off of this thing, I'll just need a minute to get my bearings and then I can lead you back to our camp. It will take us a day or so to walk," she whispered.

They remained silent as they heard approaching footsteps and voices. They heard the doors of the horseless carriage shut and the voices of the men accompanying it. They felt the pull of the wheels and the rocky ground beneath them.

Draco motioned to Ginny once the noise of the road they were traveling was cover enough for them to go through what lay in front of them. They silently and carefully began looking though boxes for anything they could find that would be of use. Ginny only found a few moth-eaten blankets and a metal bucket that could be good for getting water when they came across any.

Draco found a few ratty wands but seeing as Ginny didn't have one, he figured one of them would suit her for the time being.

Draco noticed that Ginny was still shivering violently and placed some of the blankets over her. He sat down beside her, the sides of their bodies touching, and covered himself as well.

Ginny turned to look at him and smiled, their faces only an inch apart. "I am glad you decided to come with me."

Draco nodded, his eyes focused on hers and then they slowly dropped to her lips. He stared momentarily at them before turning away and closing his eyes. The thought of physical contact with her made him shudder with longing. It had been a long time since he'd been this close to a woman. That's all it was, nothing more.

Ginny breathed steadily beside him and leaned her head into his shoulder. He stiffened, surprised at her warmth and level of comfort, but decided it was simply her survival instinct.

xxxxxxx

Draco nudged Ginny when he felt they had traveled far enough that it was safe to abandon the carriage. They gathered their goods and quietly slipped off the back of the truck.

They quickly walked from the road and went partway into the forest. They waited until the sounds of the carriage could no longer be heard.

Ginny drew the wand Draco had found for her and asked him to dimly light his. Ginny concentrated on the Order's spy camp and exclaimed, _"Point me!"_

The wand twitched and then pointed in a direction they would later determine, once the sun rose, to be west. They walked in silence, huddled in blankets and constantly casting quick warming charms on themselves.

"This may be a silly question but can we not Appar-"

Sensing his question, Ginny replied hastily, "Our camp has many wards around it, naturally. We could Apparate near it but I am not familiar enough with the surrounding areas. Don't worry, it won't be too far."

Draco sighed. He was uncomfortable with the silence for some reason and, since Ginny was the first of his schoolmates he had seen who wasn't on the Death Eater side, he had an abundance of questions.

"So you married Wood, eh?"

Ginny nodded, smiling. "I did."

"What about Potter?" Draco winced, realizing he _had_ just asked that. He mentally smacked himself.

Ginny remained silent, looking thoughtful. When she finally spoke, she was smiling softly. "Of course, you probably knew Harry and I were together when… when you left school. Well, he ended things for my safety right after Dumbledore's funeral. He fled with Ron and Hermione in tow. I was bitter and remained behind. I stayed with the other members of my family at the Order headquarters and that's when I struck up the relationship with Oliver."

"Revenge?" he asked.

"At first, possibly," Ginny nodded with a small smile. "But Oliver was charming and it wasn't long before I had no thoughts of Harry at all. Harry probably would've attended our wedding if we'd invited anyone other than our parents. It was too difficult a time to concentrate on something as silly as a big wedding."

"What about your brother and Granger?"

"Wow! Even you picked up on that, eh?" Ginny chuckled.

"Yeah. It was obvious they were completely over the moon for each other from about year one."

Ginny chuckled. "Something like that; they are together but have never married, I think for Harry's sake. I suppose they will once times are better- if that ever happens- but for now, they are just the 'Golden Trio' as always."

Draco snorted. Ginny took a moment to study him. "So what about you, Draco? Did you ever marry?"

"No time for such things. Besides, I was too busy staying alive."

Ginny nodded sympathetically and looked at him from the corner of her eye. "You've been doing this for eight years to stay alive?"

"Yes. Since… well since the incidents of my last year at school and my father's death and mother's…" He paused, his mother's suicide still a sore topic. "I just did what I had to do to survive."

Ginny walked along side him in silence for a while. "Why were you going to just let me go, back there?"

Draco didn't know how to answer. He didn't have an answer. "I can't honestly say. You came along at the right time, I reckon. I've never actually been for one side or the other, you see."

He could see the wheels turning inside of Ginny's head and before she could ask any more questions, he stopped and turned to look at her.

"Ginny, stop. Would you like me to clean you up a bit?" he asked, noting the dried blood and dirt that covered her face and hands. She stretched her arms out, looking over herself as well.

"Yes please. That would be nice. I haven't the faintest clue how I look."

Draco didn't reply. He set to work cleaning the blood off her with his wand. "The scars you showed me when I first saw you- why did you never have them fixed?"

"The acid burns and curses in my hands I just let go because St. Mungo's was full of patients far worse off than I was… and even if I had wanted them corrected, I didn't really get back in time for much to be done. I can live with the scars," she shrugged.

He finished and they began to walk again. "Draco?" she asked as they continued on their way. "I just thought of something."

"Yes?" he questioned. She stopped and turned to him. She gestured towards his left arm.

"The Dark Mark. You must have it- can they track you or anything?" she asked, looking scared. Draco grinned.

"Actually, I managed to evade that blasted thing. I started off in the lower ranks so I wasn't 'good' enough to receive one. Then, things began to happen- the Dark Lord rose to power. He didn't have time to waste with such matters and so I never got one."

A wave of relief washed over Ginny. "Thank goodness! It never occurred to me that if you'd had it you could be in even more danger."

"I got lucky, I guess," he shrugged as they began to walk again.

"I'd say you did," Ginny paused and bent over, coughing. Draco stopped as well, not knowing what to do.

"Um… er," he fumbled.

"Just a bit of a cough. I constantly have one these days from the cold and such," Ginny shook her head, not wanting Draco to make a fuss.

"Listen, let's stop here and rest, okay?" Ginny shrugged and sat down against a tree. Draco remained standing, seemingly lost in thought. Then he began to pace.

"I wasn't exactly honest with you earlier, when you asked me why I was going to let you go. Ginny, the thing is, I have a plan. And I think you can be the person to help me with it."


	5. Chapter 5

Finally got Ch 5 up, thanks to a fantastic beta by Tearful Moon from Checkmated! Ch 6 is done and will be sent in for beta soon!

xxx

Ch 5

Ginny stirred and next to her, Draco closed his eyes, acting as if he was still resting. She yawned and stretched her arms, slowly getting to her feet.

"_Finite Incantatum,"_ she murmured in order to remove the _Disilliusionment Charm_ that had kept them invisible from any wanderers. Ginny tapped Draco's shoulder gently and he acted as though he was just waking up. He had _not_ been watching the pretty redhead sleep. '_Pretty?'_ he thought. It had been too long since he'd been alone in the company of a woman. He shuddered.

As they continued on their journey, Ginny began asking him questions,. "So, how much do you know about what Voldemort has done?"

"Not too much. I was only beginning to get into a more respectable position in which I would be privy to more information. I know what took place around Durmstrang. I know stories of so-called victories although by the time things reached us, I'm sure details had been elaborated."

"Would you like to know the extent of what all has happened?" Draco nodded in the affirmative although from Ginny's grave expression he knew what happened was horrific.

"It goes far beyond the wizarding world, Draco. Voldemort's been attacking Muggles and not just in Europe. He's gone… _global_, you could say. He found out a few years ago that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in America . He thought he pinpointed them in a tall building in New York City. He had been given good information but our warnings reached them in time. However, because of actions he set into motion in hopes of killing Harry, over three thousand Muggles and a few wizards were killed."

"What did he do?"

"It's kind of a long, complicated story. You see, there are countries in the world in which Muggles are fighting against Muggles from other countries. They don't like each other for whatever reason- I guess kind of like Voldemort doesn't like anyone but purebloods—and he's been manipulating that Muggle hatred in order to get them into wars with each other and therefore kill each other off. We think the ultimate plan might be to get the Muggles to use these weapons they call _new-clear_ to blow up the whole world," Ginny paused, giving this time to sink in.

"I had heard about him getting Muggles to fight each other , just not _how_, exactly. He is bloody mad, isn't he? I mean, I always knew as much but now it's like… it's like he's on a suicide mission!"

Ginny nodded in agreement. "That is what we think. We haven't figured out how _he'd_ be able to avoid the whole Earth blowing up—you know, surviving it, but maybe you're right. Maybe it is… suicide.

"Anyway, like I was saying—he put these men under the _Imperius Curse_. He found this group of Muggles that live in the desert in somewhere called Afghanistan. He used a _Polyjuice Potion_ to take on the appearance of one of their leaders and after he had them under his control, he had them crash airplanes into those tall buildings in New York. You know airplanes?" Ginny asked. Draco just looked at her as though she were crazy. "Well, just checking. These buildings were the tallest I had ever seen! Although thousands of people worked there, most were spared. They hadn't quite all gotten to work yet. Apparently Voldemort knows little about 'time zones,' thus his timing—thank goodness—was slightly off.

"The buildings came tumbling down on the city, ruining a lot of other buildings in their path. It looked dreadful. We saw the whole thing on a Muggle television. It's how we keep up these days: we rigged a tele to work inside Hogwarts." At this, Draco raised an eyebrow. "Hey, we once bewitched a Muggle car to fly! Stranger things have happened." she shrugged.

"It was horrid. It sent the Yanks into war with these crazy men and then they went after _another _country and started a war there as well. We still aren't really sure what that is about but at any rate,Muggles are at war, killing one another just as we are. But, Voldemort's plans only get bigger.

"He had heard that a group of dark wizards had fled to India and were planning to rebel against him. He went there and conjured up a great, powerful wave in the ocean that swept away the people, buildings, animals, and vegetation on the coast of the country, as well as surrounding islands . One of the wizards survived. He made it back to England and sought out our help.

"Voldemort was responsible for the deaths of over ten thousand Muggles and wizards that day. He's using everything at his disposal—people, nature—it's quite unbelievable! Just a month or so ago, he received a tip on where Harry might be so he sent a huge hurricane to the city to wipe them out. It was in the States.

"He was too late again. Our sources warned us and we got him to safety. The main problem is all the Muggles. We don't know how to warn them and still keep our world from them. We feel bad, really, but what can we do? How could we ever make them understand the entirety of all this?"

Draco was at a loss for words. He had grown to hate the Dark Lord and what he stood for, in large part because of his mother and fathers' deaths. He was left with no family to speak of, torn away from his old friends and forced to do petty labor for so many years. His plan had been to get into the high ranks and kill Voldemort himself. He had not gotten around to formulating an actual plan— that was just always what was in his mind to do.

"You may not really care about all the Muggles dying and such, but I know you don't want them blowing each other—and the entire world—up because of Voldemort."

"You're right. I mean, I guess it's terrible about the Muggles and all really, but no one on his side has any idea of what you are suggesting. Well, no one that I know of anyway."

"We're sure they don't," Ginny sighed. "We can't even be sure but Harry still… Harry has dreams and stuff sometimes. He sees things."

Draco snorted. "And do tell—why did the brave Potter flee to America?"

"I'm not really privy to that, but I have my ideas. I won't share them just now though."

Draco eyed her. "Don't trust me completely, do you?"

"You wouldn't be alive if I didn't," she said smugly and kept walking as he stopped.

"You sure think highly of yourself for someone who was captured while spying. If it wasn't for me, you—"

"Yes, yes. I owe you for the kindness you have done me. And I _am_ very grateful. I 'd rather get you back to camp before I tell you anything more about our side."

"Very well then," Draco said shortly, brushing off the subject as he wondered why he was miffed that Ginny seemed not to trust him enough. He began to walk with her again and a silence fell between them.

xxx

Ginny was sure they should have found the camp by now. It was nearing dark and she knew it shouldn't be very far. Yet, she wasn't seeing any sign of anyone or anything. She was tired, hungry and ready to be back with those close to her. She felt out of sorts being suddenly alone with Draco. She found she thought him attractive and tried telling herself it was only because it'd been so long since she had been with a man, that was all. She had not been with anyone since Oliver's death, despite Seamus Finnigan's numerous attempts to woo her over the past year.

True, Ginny had been trying to charm Draco back in the dungeons at Durmstrang but that was just to get what she wanted: the hell out of there. Instead she found him to be different from the little boy she knew from Hogwarts. He had matured and where he had always been a cute boy, grown into a ruggedly handsome man. She shouldn't be thinking such thoughts, especially about _him._

Ginny shook the thoughts from her head and stopped to look around. She held out the wand they had found and silently spun slowly around, performing a revealing spell to see if any notes had been left behind for her. She saw in the distance, about three-quarters of a turn around, a spot on a tree glowing bright orange.

"Come on," she gestured for Draco to follow her. "I think they left."

"Well that's right nice of your friends. Give up on you, did they?" Draco huffed, still feeling slightly put out with her.

Ginny ignored his comment and kept her sights on the glowing part of a tall tree. A piece of parchment had been sealed to the tree and had been enchanted to appear as though it were bark unless a witch or wizard revealed it.

The note was indeed for her and was from Seamus Finnigan.

_Ginny, _

_I know you will find this and, first and foremost, I want to apologize that we had to leave. We know of your capture but we are confident you will return unscathed, just as you have many times before. Pressing matters have taken us back to Hogwarts. Apparate to Hogsmeade as soon as you can. If you have no wand we have left a portkey for you. Directions to find it are below. _

_Harry has given us some urgent news. I hope to see you soon._

_Seamus_

Draco read the note over Ginny's shoulder. She ignored him.

"So, we apparate now?" he asked. "Or would you rather the portkey?"

Ginny shook her head, grabbing his hand impatiently. With a loud pop she Apparated them both to what was once Hogsmeade. Draco had not been there in years and apparently, neither had anyone else. All the shops that he once visited on certain weekends during school lay in piles of stone and rubble. Ahead in the distance he could see Hogwarts rising triumphantly into the horizon. He had never been so happy to see the old castle.

xxx

Ginny kept hold of his arm and turned him to face her. "You do understand that even though you are with me, you will still be under scrutiny? You have to be prepared to comply with whatever is asked of you— be it taking Veritaserum or letting someone perform Legilimency on you—whatever. Alright?"

Draco nodded in agreement as she looked deep into his eyes. She grinned. "Good. I think in the end everyone will be happy I've brought you."

Upon seeing Ginny smile again, Draco couldn't help but turn the corners of his mouth slightly upward. It wasn't hard to see why Oliver Wood had fancied the young woman. When she was pleased it seemed that everyone around her would be pleased as well, simply because she was.

Ginny let go of Draco's arm and began to make her way into some of the rubble. "There's a passage down here that is guarded at all times. It goes from what used to be Honeyduke's into the castle. Here we go." She let out a breath she hadn't meant to hold.

Draco followed her through the rubble and down some well-concealed stone steps into an underground cavern. It had once been storage for Honeyduke's no doubt, but now was in too bad a state to store much of anything. He and Ginny fought through the plant growth and saw a torch glowing not too far from them. There they found a large iron door with a small window.

Ginny stepped up to the door and knocked a special knock. Eyes immediately peered through the small window and went wide. The door flew open.

"Ginny!" cried George Weasley as he rushed and grabbed her into a hug. "Oh, we were wondering when you'd get back! And—" Draco looked down as he heard George take note of him. "Ginny?" George asked, keeping a protective arm around his sister.

"It's because of Draco that I am here."

"Malfoy?" George gaped.

"Calm down there!" Ginny laughed as George placed a hand on his wand. "He let me out of the dungeons at Durmstrang and I convinced him to come with me."

"Ginny, I don't know if—" George began, not taking his eyes off the blond boy.

"It's alright. Trust me. He took good care of me while I was there too. Snuck me food and juice. He never hurt me, I promise," Ginny grabbed her older brother's chin, forcing his eyes to hers.

"Well, you'd better get him inside. I take it you'll have a lot of explaining to do and we've got a lot to fill you in on."

"Alright then," Ginny said and let go of her brother, motioning for Draco to follow her once again.

As they walked, Draco became unsure of the reaction he was going to receive. "Ginny, are you sure this is such a good idea? I mean, what if—"

"Nonsense, Draco. They all know me well enough. They'll hassle you for a bit, sure, but they'll find out, as I did, that you're not _all_ bad," she joked reassuringly with him.

xxx

Draco grew more and more nervous as they stepped in the castle from the passageway and headed down the stairs towards the Great Hall. George had no doubt sent word that Ginny was on her way and had probably included Malfoy in his message.

Draco paused at the bottom of the stairs as Ginny kept forging onward towards the doors of the Great Hall, which stood open. Ginny stopped and looked back when she realized Draco wasn't just behind her. "Come on then. I promise, this will be more painless than if I were in your shoes with the Death Eaters."

Draco knew this to be true and reluctantly started forward again just as two redheaded figures darted out and grabbed Ginny.

"Darling!" called a female voice. Draco took this to be Ginny's mother.He recognized the man as her father. "We knew you'd make it back! And," Mrs. Weasley turned to Draco. "What's this?"

"This, Mother, is Draco Malfoy. He is the reason I am here. He kept me alive and well in the dungeons at Durmstrang. When he came to let me go I convinced him to come back with me."

Arthur Weasley studied the young, blond man in front of him for a minute before extending his hand. "Thank you. We are so grateful to you," he said quietly. "I am Arthur Weasley, Ginny's father, and this is her mum, Molly."

Draco nodded to them both, shaking Mr. Weasley's hand. "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny is lucky to have you. I've lost both of my parents."

"We've heard, dear," Mrs. Weasley said sympathetically.

Ginny was shocked. She had not observed Draco showing many real emotions but seeing him with her own parents, she thought he looked quite sad. Her thoughts were cut short as other Order members flooded the corridors.

xxx

Both Ginny and Draco were taken to the hospital wing where they were thoroughly examined and to be kept over night. Wards were placed around Draco for good measure and he had to surrender his wand. He did so without complaint.

Draco agreed to a Veritaserum test to be administered the following day. That night, in the quiet of the hospital wing, Draco reflected on the past few days as Ginny breathed lightly in her sleep a few beds down away.

He sighed and turned to lie on his side to observe the sleeping redhead. She looked peaceful in her sleep: so harmless, so gentle. He had seen enough to know better but he couldn't help admiring the beautiful girl. It had been so long since anyone had actually cared for him and he could tell that Ginny did. Perhaps not in _that_ way, which was fine. He wasn't looking for _that, _was he?

She shifted in her sleep and sighed. Draco was still staring when she opened her eyes and gave him a small smile. "I've not been snoring, have I?" she giggled, covering her face.

Draco shook his head no and returned her smile. "No."

"Trouble sleeping?" Ginny asked quietly as she sat up and stretched. He made no answer while he watched her walk to his bed, taking a seat on the edge of it. "You're safe here, Draco. They'll accept you. You'll end up being a big part of this, you know."

Draco rolled onto his back and placed his hands behind his head to prop it up slightly. "I'm glad you think so."

"I know so," Ginny patted his hand. "Some people might react oddly at first but you aren't the first from the other side to come over. Actually, a few of your friends will probably come around tomorrow or the next few days. Zabini and Bullstrode are here. They're out on a mission with some of the others but once word gets out you're here, they'll come running, no doubt."

"Blaise and Millicent? Really?" Draco perked up. Old friends— he never thought he would be so happy to hear those names. "They're not _together_ are they?"

Ginny laughed. Blaise was very handsome and Millicent, well, she was very manly. "No, no, certainly not! Millicent is still single and Blaise has been seeing Padma Patil for quite some time now."

"Ah, nothing like Hogwarts romances during a time of war," Draco breathed a sigh of relief that Blaise had still kept his good senses about him.

"Hey! Don't knock it. I had a romance in a time of war— and a marriage at that."

"Yes, and look how…" Draco froze, horrified when he realized what he was about to say: _and look how well that turned out for you._

Ginny kept her calm demeanor and nodded. "Yes, yes I know. I am twenty-three and a widow. But, you see, the good part of that is that I am only twenty-three. I've got time for another romance or two in my life." She smiled and stood to walk back to her bed.

Draco grabbed her hand as she turned to go. "Sorry," he whispered. "Sometimes I just… I can't control my mouth."

"It's fine. The look of horror on your face was enough to tell me you didn't mean it," Ginny smiled and curled back up in her bed.

Draco slept that night as he had not slept in a long time. It was dreamless, thanks to a potion, and uninterrupted.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks to TearfulMoon from Checkmated for the awesome beta!

xxx

Ch 6

The next morning Draco and Ginny were released from the hospital. As they entered the Great Hall all conversation died. Draco couldn't help but think this was exactly the reaction he'd have received if this entrance been made while he was in school.

He felt a bit like a puppy dog, following Ginny in and sitting with her, but he really didn't know anyone else. As the conversations around them resumed, mainly in whispers, he looked about and thought there to be maybe one hundred people in the spacious hall.

"Tuck in," Ginny said with a smile as a plate appeared before each of them and more food was added to the platters set in front of them.

"Hogwarts still has its house elves, I see."

Ginny laughed. "Yes, much to Hermione's dismay." She could see Draco missed her meaning and explained, "In her fourth year, Hermione tried to start up this House Elf liberation thing. She thought they were treated cruelly and deserved wages for their work. Here, they've always been treated well and enjoyed their work, so I don't know what she was all up in arms about."

Draco snorted. "She'd have a complete breakdown if she knew how House Elves are treated at Durmstrang. Hell, if she knew how my—" he stopped and Ginny nodded, knowing he was going to say how his father treated them.

At that moment, Fred and George took the opportunity to catch Ginny and Draco up on the big news. Harry, Ron and Hermione would be back in England within the week. They had a plan and while no one was sure what it was, it was definitely big.

"It could be the end!" George whispered.

"Like a _good_ end? For us?" Ginny asked.

George nodded.

"Well, we've thought this before so don't get your hopes up," Ginny warned cautiously.

xxx

After breakfast Ginny escorted Draco to the dungeons where he would be given Veritaserum and then interrogated for further questioning. The Veritaserum revealed that Draco had not come back to Hogwarts with Ginny in order to spy. He confessed his loathing for the side he had been on and the events that had caused such feelings.

Ginny remained in the room with Draco and the interviewer per Draco's request. He trusted her completely now. She knew he hadn't really been able to ever trust anyone. His answers about the things he'd witnessed and been party to made Ginny cringe. She felt so badly for him! The part about finding his mother after she committed suicide brought tears to her eyes. She had always thought that one day she would see something good in Draco Malfoy but right now all she saw was pain.

Draco was allowed to leave when the Veritaserum wore off. "So where will I be staying? I don't suppose my old room might be free?" Draco asked curiously.

"Possibly. Why don't we go and see?" Ginny gestured for Draco to lead the way down the corridor to what used to be the Slytherin Common Room.

It was a walk down memory lane for Draco.

The portrait opened for them with a password from Ginny and he stepped in to find the Common Room nearly as it was when he had been a student. It was a bit more worn and smelled a bit musty otherwise it looked like the closest thing to home he'd seen in a good, long while.

He led Ginny through a hallway to a door marked with the number six. He hadn't quite finished his sixth year when he'd left Hogwarts, thus this was his last room. He entered the room and found six beds, only two of which appeared to be in use judging by their state of disarray.

"Do you suppose I could stay here then?" he asked, looking at Ginny.

She shrugged. "I don't see why not. If a married couple were in here, the beds would be pushed together but as they're not, this is probably home to two others. I never come down here."

"You live up in the Gryffindor Tower no doubt?"

"Yes. I have my own room actually. It's quite nice- one of the perks of being me. Now, what are we going to do about getting you a change of clothes?" He watched as she tapped her finger on her jaw, thinking hard. She looked him over. "You look to be about Fred's size, albeit a bit thinner. I'm sure he has some robes and stuff you can borrow until we can get you some of your own. How about you get cleaned up and I'll send a House Elf with some robes for you?"

Draco nodded. As Ginny was leaving, he realized he would be alone and didn't know what to do or where to go after he showered. "What should I do after I've cleaned up?" he asked.

To Ginny, he almost appeared unsure of himself.

"Well, I don't know what's on today's schedule but…" she thought for a few minutes before finishing. "Come up to the Gryffindor Common Room when you're done and we'll find a place for you."

"Sound good."

"You do remember where it is, right?" Ginny laughed.

"Yes, although I can't say I've ever been in there. It will be a first."

xxx

Ginny took her time washing up. She hadn't had a good shower in a few weeks and scourgifying spells just didn't do it for her. She relished in the hot water and the smell of her favorite soap.

Her thoughts drifted to Draco, who would no doubt be heading up to the Tower soon. She was suddenly conscious of the appearance she had kept the past few weeks and wondered what Draco would think of a squeaky clean Ginny.

'What on Earth is wrong with me?' she thought. 'Why do I even care?'

Ginny stepped out of the shower and grabbed two towels, wrapping her hair in one and her body in the other. She enjoyed having a room to herself. She was used to it now. She had, of course, shared it with her husband. After he'd been killed, she remained alone. No one pressured her to share the room. There were more rooms than people in Hogwarts.

She pulled on fresh clothes: the robes she had worn all that time would have to be disposed of. She dried her hair quickly and headed down to the Common Room. Draco was seated on a couch having a discussion with Seamus Finnigan.

"Ginny!" Seamus cried, looking as though he hadn't seen her in ages. He'd seen her, in fact, at breakfast that morning but she'd been too busy talking to Draco, Fred and George to really pay him much attention. Seamus crossed the room and pulled her into a huge hug.

"Hi," Ginny said, returning the hug less enthusiastically and patting Seamus' back lightly. She rolled her eyes as she hugged him. "Anything exciting on the agenda today?" she asked, pulling out of Seamus' possessive grip.

"Well, not much other than training. You should probably rest though. I can't imagine the past few weeks have been—"

"Don't try to handle me, Seamus Finnigan," Ginny said seriously. "Truth be told, all I did was sit around in a dark dungeon day after day. I am in need of some training." She turned to Draco. "I suppose we could do some training together."

Draco shrugged. He was beginning to feel like a burden more than any kind of help. Despite feeling somewhat useless, he followed Ginny to what had been the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Ginny knew quite a lot and Draco learned a few new spells. After a few hours, they took a break and headed into the Hall for lunch.

"Where'd you learn all that? Just from being here?" Draco asked as they ate.

"Yes. Also, I've pieced bits of spells together to create combinations. There are some very talented wizards and witches here. Some you've probably never heard of. Hey, check it out! Here come Blaise and Millie!"

"By the grace of the gods, is that Draco Malfoy in front of me?" Blaise called, scampering across the Hall towards him. Draco smiled and stood to greet his old friend. "How are you?" he asked as he pulled Draco into a hug.

"I'm quite well, thanks. And you— it would seem you are doing well."

"Yeah, yeah. So, what's the deal? Fred told us you were here on our way in but he didn't give details. What has been going on in the past… eight years?"

Ginny sat idly by finishing her lunch as Draco and Blaise caught up on each other's recent lives. She excused herself, feeling somewhat ignored by the reunion and headed outside for a bit of flying.

xxx

The Quidditch Pitch was pretty run down these days. She still flew around but no one had time for a game anymore. The world had moved on. There were more pressing matters at hand. She flew gracefully around the pitch, dodging and diving from the obstacles she conjured in her mind.

She finally stopped when she saw a flash of white glimmer in the sunshine below. She looked down and was embarrassed to find Draco watching her.

"You fly beautifully," he called. "Are there more brooms?"

"Check the old locker rooms. We keep some there," she replied. He disappeared under the stands and emerged a short while later with a broom. Once in the air, he flew to where she had stayed waiting.

"So, do you have some moves you can show me, then?" He grinned.

Ginny felt a flutter through her heart. Draco Malfoy should smile more often, she thought.

"Oh, from what I remember of your flying skills, you can probably teach me a few moves."

"I don't know. From what I witnessed a few minutes ago, you do just fine on your own."

Ginny grinned and took off. Draco took her challenge and they sped around the pitch and took their race out across Hogwarts grounds.

After flying together for nearly an hour, Ginny grew tired. She knew there would be a meeting after dinner and that she would need to prepare a report on her recent 'adventure.'

"I'm going to head inside. I need to get together a report for tonight's meeting," she said, descending to the pitch.

"Is there anything I could tell you that might help?" Draco offered. Ginny's eyes widened.

"Absolutely! You could give some great information! Why didn't I think of it before? Listen, I'm going to go freshen up. Meet me in my room in half an hour or so, all right? Once you are in the Common Room, go up the stairs to your left. I am the seventh door all the way at the top."

Ginny hurried away before Draco could even reply.

xxx

Ginny had a house elf deliver snacks and drinks to her room for her meeting with Draco in the late afternoon. She showered again and threw on her comfy pants and a t-shirt. Draco arrived right when she'd asked him, knocking lightly on her open door as he stepped in.

"Hey!" She beamed. "Shut that, would you?" She motioned to the door. "I don't want anyone getting a sneak peak at our report." Draco did as she asked and looked around her room. Two beds had been pushed together to make one. She had a couch, a chair and a desk. There was a bureau that had a few drawers open and clothes strewn from them.

"Nice room. You sure get the royal treatment, eh?"

Ginny shrugged. "Yeah. It's never felt like home though. So, before we get started, I have a question for you."

"Yes…?"

"You told me a few days ago that you have a 'plan.'"

Draco nodded.

"What is it?"

Draco shrugged and thought for a minute. "Well, I suppose it consists of me killing Voldemort."

"That's it?"

"I never said it was well thought out or actually _planned_ now, did I?" he smirked.

Ginny laughed.

"No, I guess you didn't. But you sounded so serious when you said it, I was just curious."

"I _was_ serious. I _am_ serious. I am glad to be here because I think… I think this is a way I can go through with my plan. But enough of that, let's get started. What do you want to know?"

Ginny sat on one end of the couch taking notes as she listened to Draco give her some of the inside information he had on Durmstrang. Then he told her of the other Death Eater strongholds he had been to when he was a message boy. Eventually, their information session turned into stories about the funny things that had happened to them over the past few years. It was nice to know that there had been some humor in the majority of the mess that was going on.

One story about the misuse of a healing spell to try to _give_ someone diarrhea instead of _get rid_ of it as a way of torture had Ginny rolling on the floor laughing. Apparently, the idiot Death Eater who had thought up that one had not thought of the negative ramifications on everyone else around this victim.

"I mean it was truly explosive!" Draco laughed.

"Oh my gosh! That has got to be one of the most fowl, but funniest things I have ever heard!" Ginny gathered herself as she rose from the floor. "Come on, we should probably head down." As she was getting up, she tripped over a wrinkle in the rug and fell into Draco as he stood. His strong arms caught her around the waist and lifted her back up. He held her there, looking into her eyes, and she into his, for a moment longer than was absolutely necessary. Ginny cleared her throat and looked away. Draco released her.

"Yes, um… thank you. This will be a great deal of help," she said nervously as she gathered the notes she had taken earlier.

Draco, not knowing what to do or say, just watched her and then followed her when she made to leave. Deciding things were slightly awkward after he caught her, Draco ate with Blaise while Ginny sat farther down at a different table with her brothers and whom Draco assumed were their wives or girlfriends.

xxx

At the meeting that night Draco was introduced before Ginny called him up to help give her report. His information was so good that Remus, Tonks, and Fred, as well as a few others began talking, only to corner him afterwards. They wanted to know what the possibility was of an invasion at Durmstrang.

It was late when Draco finally left. He looked around for Ginny but she had already gone. He had wanted to talk to her before he went to bed. Draco had seen something in her eyes he didn't recognize when he stood in her room holding her earlier. It had excited him as well as scared him. She'd been looking at him the same way he was looking at her— with longing.

Instead of looking for her and talking to her, Draco stayed in his rooms or stuck close to Zabini for a few days. Ginny did the same, staying near one of her family members at all times.

Draco was pacing out in the old Slytherin Common Room one night when Blaise came in with his girlfriend. "Padma, go on up. I'll be there in a minute." The young woman left and Blaise turned to Draco. "What's eating you, mate?"

Draco sighed and slouched down into the soft, green sofa in front of the fire. "I don't know. This whole thing… me being here… its just weird."

"Uh huh. So then the gorgeous, courageous, talented creature that is Ginny Wood has _nothing_ to do with how you are feeling?" Blaise drawled and Draco's head shot up, eyes wide. "It's not that obvious, don't worry about it. I've been there myself so I recognize it a little easier."

"Did you and Ginny…"

Blaise shook his head. "No. I never approached her about my feelings. She was still married to…Wood was still alive when I first got here. She was the one who took care of everyone. She trained us and made those of us who were new feel better. She was everything I didn't know she would be. I was fascinated. But, she had a good Gryffindor husband and so, we only struck up a friendship."

"I don't know what I'm feeling, Blaise. It's weird. I mean, I think I just haven't seen a decent-looking, young woman in such a long time, I—"

"Oh, there are plenty of other young women around here, though I don't reckon you'll have noticed." Draco thought back and realized that he had not, in fact, noticed any others. "Once Wood got killed, Ginny withdrew from everyone but her family. Our friendship… while it wasn't completely shot, hasn't ever been the same. Then that idiot Seamus set out after her and she began staying close to her brothers and Lupin."

Draco moaned in frustration and shook his head.

"But," Blaise continued. "You two seem to have developed a bond."

Draco shrugged. "I let her out of Durmstrang. She offered me freedom and asylum if I came with her. I couldn't…" Draco paused and Blaise raised an eyebrow. "I couldn't resist," Draco whispered.

At that point, the portrait hole opened up and in walked the topic of conversation. She paused, looking slightly embarrassed. "Oh. Hi. I was… I um…" she was at a loss for words.

"Hey Gin-girl!" Blaise smiled as he moved towards her and hugged her. "I haven't had a chance to welcome you back properly."

"Thanks, Z," she murmured softly as she returned his embrace. "I was actually looking for Draco. I, uh… had some things to go over with him but then you guys cornered him after the meeting the other night and things have just been crazy since then!" Her voice was slightly shaky.

"Well, I will leave you to it then. Goodnight," Blaise kissed Ginny's forehead and winked at Draco whose cheeks blushed ever so slightly.

Draco made room for Ginny on the couch but she remained standing. "Care to take a bit of a walk 'round the castle? I'm not tired."

Draco nodded and followed her lead from the common room.

The two were completely silent as they aimlessly walked the corridors, ending up at the entrance to the old Astronomy Tower, which now served as storage and had a lookout on top.

"Ginny—"

"Draco—" they began at the same time, causing them to chuckle.

"You go first," she said.

"I just wanted to say, if I have made you in any way uncomfortable, I—"

"What? How could you do that?" She smiled and took his hand in a friendly gesture, stepping closer to him. He looked into her eyes again and, seeing that longing there yet again, decided to take his chance. He bent forward and placed his hand behind her head, drawing her lips to his.

It was a soft, simple kiss that ended as abruptly as it had begun. Ginny's eyes remained closed and Draco leaned his forehead down on hers. "I… I—"

"I haven't been with anyone since Oliver died," Ginny whispered matter-of-factly.

Draco started to pull away from her, thinking he had misinterpreted what he saw. Her hands instantly came up to grip his elbows.

"I never thought there would be anyone else, and then… you came."

Draco studied her eyes when they finally opened. He didn't know what to say. There were many things he wanted to say but he couldn't get them from his brain to his mouth. By saying what she had, did that mean she wanted to be with him? _Be_ with him? His brain was frozen.

They stood there in silence, leaning against one another for a long while until Ginny turned her head up towards his again, pressing her lips to his. The fact that she had initiated the kiss this time sent his blood boiling. Draco deepened the kiss and she responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. He lifted her up and sat her on the windowsill. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him in closer.

Draco found himself lost in Ginny. He was lost in the sensation of what had sparked between them. It had been so long since he had tasted a woman and kissing Ginny was like no other. She was sweet and tangy, her breath warm and soft.

After a few heated moments they broke apart gasping. Draco studied her lips, swollen from his kisses, and sighed. "We should get some rest," he whispered. Ginny nodded silently and carefully removed herself from Draco's grasp.

They retreated from the Astronomy Tower in silence once more but Draco caught hold of Ginny's hand and escorted her to Gryffindor Tower. He paused at the doorway as she gave him a hug and kept his hold on her once she let go.

"I… I really…" he paused, as he watched her eyes search his. "You've trusted me so easily. You've accepted me. Why?"

"I have faith, Draco. Despite all the bad things in the world, I have faith."

Draco stared at her, not really knowing what to say. He hadn't really understood, until now, what it was to have faith in someone or something. Though he'd had faith in her when they'd left Durmstrang, he supposed.

"Goodnight, Ginny."

"Goodnight Draco," she whispered as she kissed his lips lightly and disappeared into the common room. Draco leaned back against the wall of the corridor and collapsed down to the floor.

'Now this is an interesting development,' he thought, burying his head in his hands.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to Tearful Moon from Checkmated for the beta! Happy Valentine's Day and here is a bit of D/G naughtiness!

xxx

Chapter 7

Ginny found that though she was tired, she couldn't sleep. It didn't matter that Harry, Ron and Hermione were set to return in a few days and they were putting a major plan into action: her thoughts were anywhere but where they should be, they were of silky blonde hair and gray eyes, of Draco's scent and the warmth of his skin.

To be honest with herself, she had dreamed of kissing Draco since she met him, way back when they were kids. Yes, he had been an obnoxious little prick when they were younger, but he was also very cute and, now, so very handsome. He also had that 'bad boy' thing going for him. It was very alluring, especially given how different he was from her other big crush, Harry Potter.

They were as different as night and day and probably still were. Harry, for one, had dark features and a shorter, stouter build while Draco had silver-blond hair, light skin and features and a tall, lean, muscular build. While Harry was good, Draco was bad. Harry was nice; Draco was mean. Harry was shy and unassuming. Draco was cocky and overbearing.

She always kept hope that underneath the rude, demeaning exterior were the makings of a good man. It seemed she had been proven right by Harry and Myrtle's stories of Draco in the time leading up to Dumbledore's death. She had never imagined she would have the chance to find out though.

When she had seen him at Durmstrang, she had immediately been pulled back all those years just seeing his eyes. She thought her little crush on him had surely dissipated by then but in fact, once she had gotten to know the man he had become, her feelings for him returned with a depth they had not had before, even if she had pushed the thoughts from her mind. She'd had no idea he felt the same way until he kissed her.

Now the big question was what would happen next. Would they pretend it never happened and be awkward around each other? Would they become some kind of couple? Or would they just snog at any and every convenience? The latter two options were appealing.

She lay awake in her bed, her thoughts consumed by Draco. It was then that she heard a knock at her door. Assuming it could not be something good, she called out that she would be right there and grabbed a robe to cover her camisole and shorts.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she opened the door, expecting anyone but the person who was actually there. "Draco? Is everything okay?" she wondered confused.

"I… er… may I come in for a minute?" he asked.

"Sure."

"I'm sorry to disturb you at such a late hour but I couldn't sleep and honestly… it's because of you," he admitted.

Ginny smiled. "Me either."

Draco regarded her soft demeanor and sighed, relaxing somewhat. "The thing is Ginny, I really like you and I don't want things to be awkward because of what happened earlier. But, I also don't want you to feel pressure to be with me or think I'll take rejection badly and go back to the Death Eaters."

Ginny laughed. "Oh! I know you wouldn't! Don't be silly."

"I haven't been with anyone in a long time. There were practically no women around Durmstrang and anyway, there wasn't much time for that sort of thing. I, uh, I don't want to disrespect Oliver's memory or anything." Draco began to pace back and forth. "And there is another thing. I am quite… er… intimidated, really, when I think about all of your brothers and family finding out about this, if there is a _this._"

"Draco! You really have been thinking a lot about this, haven't you?" She grinned as she stopped him mid-pace and enveloped him in a hug. He sank into her arms and grabbed her around the waist.

"Truth be told, I've wanted you since back at Durmstrang. I saw you walk by, and even though I didn't know who you were at the time, I thought you were beautiful," he said breathlessly.

Ginny shuddered, feeling his warm breath on her ear. "Even as dirty and gross as I was?"

Draco pulled back from her and looked her in the eyes, brushing a strand of bronze hair out of her eyes. "You can't hide beauty like yours, not with all the dirt in the world. I would have seen it when we were younger if I hadn't been blinded by… prejudice."

Ginny's breath hitched as she watched his mouth come down on hers. Her eyes fluttered shut as she lost herself in him once more. She began backing towards the bed, pulling him with her.

Once he caught on to her intent, he took over. Draco swept her off her feet and laid her gently on the bed. He crawled on top of her, supporting his own weight, and continued to kiss her as he untied her robe and pushed it back. She broke the kiss and hastily removed the robe and tossed it on the floor. Draco shed his own robe to reveal the T-shirt and pants underneath.

No words needed to be said. There was an unspoken understanding of what was about to take place. Draco couldn't hide his arousal from her and they began to explore each other with hands and mouths. Draco took great care in kissing and caressing the skin on her shoulder that had been burned by acid.

He took control then, holding her hands above her head so he could enjoy her body. When they finally made love it was like nothing she had known in her previous bond of marriage.

She had enjoyed making love with Oliver yes, but the act had never sent her body into a raging fire as it was now. Every touch was heated, every kiss stung with passion. She couldn't get enough. Once they had both climaxed, she was ready for more. She gave Draco a few minutes to recover before beginning her own assault on his body, preparing him for her once more.

Afterwards, she lay there in his arms as he stroked her hair. "Tell me something," he began. "Back at Durmstrang you said you used to hex me because I ignored you. What was that about?"

Ginny blushed. "The truth?"

"Well of course!" Draco exclaimed, pulling away to look at her.

"If I tell you, you might think I'm weird," she said hesitantly. Draco looked at her expectantly and she sighed. "I always thought you were just terribly cute. And, even though you were mean to my brother and his friends, you ignored me. You never bothered to say much of anything nasty to me. I mean, there was that incident with Harry and the Valentine and _that_ wasn't even as horrifically rude as I had observed you to be."

Draco shut his eyes. "I was a bit of a brat, eh?" Ginny nodded. "But you thought I was cute, huh?" He grinned devilishly, showing a bit of that Malfoy charm he'd had even when he was being a brat.

"Yeah, you were— are. I just wanted some sort of attention from you, bad or good. I thought if I got some, it would make me more a part of the trio. And you had that whole _bad boy_ thing going for you. You were the total opposite of Harry and that was intriguing. I have a dark side, after the whole thing with the Chamber and all that. I didn't want to go running off to the Dark Side but I was intrigued."

"So you tried to get my attention by taunting me and the entire time I never even knew it was you."

"I figured you'd catch me or go to a teacher and have them test wands or something… but you never did. The worst of it was you watched me do that bat-bogey hex on you and you never even went for retaliation, not even the following school term!"

"I was a bit preoccupied that term, remember."

"Yeah, well I know that now but back then I was utterly flabbergasted! I thought I really just didn't exist."

"But surely you got over that when you and Potter, uh, hooked up."

"Well, yeah it left my mind but we weren't together all that long."

"Bloody fool," Draco said under his breath. Ginny elbowed him.

"That bloody fool will be here soon and you'll be a big part of this plan, you know. Therefore, you'll be around him a lot."

Draco grunted something unintelligible and Ginny laughed. "Old habits die hard, I guess?" she remarked. Draco nodded.

"I don't know why I never… I mean after… I was a kid, a stupid kid," Draco mumbled as he absently stroked her back. She was facing him now and watching his expressions change as he remembered various events from the past.

"But you are here now, doing the right thing, and that's what is important," she said, brushing a thumb across his cheek. He grinned and moved towards her touch.

"Yes, it is."

They lay there silently for a while longer. "Stay here?" Ginny whispered when she sensed herself drifting towards sleep.

"Absolutely," he whispered back as he brushed a kiss onto her lips. "What will… I mean, if anybody notices…"

"We're adults. Sure, my family may have something to say about it but that's all they can do," she shrugged.

"If you say so," he sighed. He dreaded facing everyone tomorrow and having anyone know what transpired between them.

xxx

The next morning, Seamus Finnigan and Blaise Zabini were settled in the Gryffindor Common Room with a few others, including George Weasley, when Draco emerged from Ginny's room. Blaise's expression broke into a broad grin and the others just stared.

"Mornin' Draco. Long night?" Blaise drawled.

"It was a good night," a voice answered from behind Draco.

Draco turned slightly pink as he realized Ginny had come down behind him, with only her robe over her nightclothes. With his robe and nightclothes on, there was no mistaking what had taken place. Ginny wrapped her arms around Draco's waist from behind and pressed a kiss to the back of his neck. He relaxed somewhat, though, still aware that one of her brothers was in the room.

George eyed the pair curiously. "Ginny?" was all he could say.

"Draco, I think we should just get this over with." She moved around him to get closer to everyone else. "Z, Seamus, George— Draco and I care for each other. I haven't had a relationship since… well you know. And I want this," she said, looking back to Draco.

"As do I." Draco nodded, taking her hand. "I hope no one has a problem with it but if you do, Ginny and I are adults and this is our choice to make."

George and Seamus gaped dramatically. Blaise jumped up to his feet and ran over, grabbing Draco and Ginny into a hug. "Personally, I am _thrilled!_ What do you say to getting dressed and then going to breakfast?"

"I'll meet you there," Draco said, kissing Ginny's temple before nodding to everyone else. Seamus remained stunned while George babbled incoherently under his breath.

They spent breakfast talking with Blaise and Padma, avoiding glances and whispers from the twins and dirty looks from Seamus.

Following breakfast there was a meeting concerning the return of Harry, Ron and Hermione as well as some of their American counterparts. There was also discussion about ramping up training and urging those who could to make sure the potions and supplies were fully stocked. Draco was recruited for potions while Ginny faced her brothers and helped them stock up other supplies.

"Ginny, are you sure—" George began. Ginny cut him off.

"George, I know I am your baby sister and you feel this need to protect me but don't you want to see me happy?" she pleaded, making her biggest puppy-dog eyes at him.

"But… _Malfoy?_ Ginny…" Fred whined.

"Oh Fred! Whining does not become you! Stop it!" She giggled. She knew both twins, actually most of her family, knew she did whatever she wanted and they all accepted it. She knew her mother would have concerns and her father would remain mostly indifferent as long as he felt she was treated right.

"Gin!" Blaise called as he ran across the grounds towards where she stood gathering vegetables and potions ingredients from the greenhouses.

"Hey Z!" She grinned, knowing what he must be coming to talk to her about.

"In all my years, I never imagined the ferret and the girl weasel together!" He laughed.

"Z! I haven't been a Weasley for years!" She smacked his arm.

"Yeah, well Ginny Wood never did have the right ring to it. Ginny Malfoy now…"

Ginny smacked his arm even harder. "Really Blaise! If anyone should be thinking about marriage, it's you! How long have you and Padma been together now?" she reminded him.

"I know, I know. We're getting married when all of this is over. She knows that. But let's not change the subject. Exactly how did last night happen? You two were like school children crushing on each other last night, all shy and coy, and then you're in bed together?" Blaise wiggled his eyebrows at her. She rolled her eyes.

"You're not getting details so you may as well drop it! But if you must know _something,_ we are… that is Draco and I… we're going to see where this goes," she said thoughtfully.

Blaise grinned and grabbed her into hug. "Well, if it had to be a former Slytherin and it couldn't be me, I'm glad it's Draco!"

"Me too!" She giggled. "I feel like a horny teenager though!"

"That's good though! I mean, my gosh, you're in your early twenties! You're still in your prime and you will be for a long time."

"Yeah, I suppose. I suppose I feel old or something sometimes, being a widow and whatnot, but… after last night I definitely feel young again." She gave him a goofy look.

"Okay, okay!" Blaise released her from his embrace. "I'm glad to see you happy but you are right. I _do not_ need details!"

xxx

Later that afternoon Ginny was still in the greenhouse working on filling jars with valerian root

"Ginny!" a voice bellowed. "Ginny, come quickly!" She recognized the distressed voice as that of Padma Patil.

"Padma! What's wrong?" Ginny gasped when she stood and took in Padma's flushed face and shortness of breath from running and yelling.

"Seamus! He has Draco and Z at wand point! Says Draco can't be trusted and that he's got some sort of hold over you!" Ginny darted past Padma who made a shriek of frustration and followed.

Ginny burst through the doors into the castle, coming to a brief halt to try and decide which way to go. It didn't take her long to hear the heated voices coming from down the corridor to her left, which led to the dungeons.

"Finnegan! Calm down!" she could hear a voice that sounded like Zacharias Smith.

"No! I will not! We have a traitor in our midst! Something has to be done and if no one else will do it, I will!" Seamus exclaimed. Ginny rounded the corner and saw Draco backed up to a wall, something akin to fear in his eyes, as Seamus held his wand jabbed tightly into his throat. Blaise was lying on the ground. From what Ginny could see, Seamus had already done something to Blaise. He was breathing, but something wasn't right.

Draco's eyes widened when he saw Ginny and before he realized Seamus would see it in his eyes and know, Seamus had turned around, driving his wand a little deeper in to Draco's throat.

"Ginny! I don't blame you. I know you were under a spell or something and you thought you were bringing in someone who could help. You're so innocent and you just didn't know."

"What are you on about?" Ginny said indignantly as she stalked towards Seamus. Draco gave a slight nod of his head as he gasped for breath, as if to warn her against approaching. However, Seamus Finnegan did not scare her.

"Ginny…listen."

"No. You listen to _me._ I know that you are upset because of what you saw this morning." Seamus' eyes widened and he dropped his wand a bit from Draco's throat. He reached out for her with his free hand.

"Ginny, whatever he did to you, it'll be alright."

"He didn't do anything to me or with me that I didn't want, Seamus. Blaise knows that. Fred and George know that. I'm sorry that your feelings are hurt, but honestly! This is not the time for jealous fighting!"

"It's not jealousy, Ginny! I love you!" Seamus blurted, dropping his wand completely from Draco, who gasped and slid to the floor, clutching his throat where a red dent had appeared.

Ginny's breath hitched and her eyes widened. "I… Seamus, I'm flattered, really I am but… we've only ever been good friends and that's all we can ever be. I don't see you in that way," she explained carefully. Quite a crowd had been drawn, but Ginny was oblivious to them.

"But you see _him_ in that way?" Seamus spat, gesturing furiously to Draco.

"Yes, I do. Part of me always has. I want him, Seamus. I want to be with Draco."

Seamus let his wand fall from his hand and sank to the floor, defeated. He buried his face in his hands. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" he cried. Ginny dropped to the floor beside him and put her arms gently around him. He tried to shake her off but she held on tightly.

"Don't be sorry, Seamus. Well, you should apologize to Draco and Blaise but, more importantly, you need to get it together. Harry, Ron and Hermione will be here shortly and we need to get things done. Stuff like what just happened here is not very productive."

"I should leave." He sighed, drying up. "I'm just a nuisance anyway."

"No you're not!" Ginny said as she grasped his shoulders and forced him to look her in the eye. "You're one of our strongest men and we _need_ you here. These past few years have been very stressful. Everyone knows that. You just let it take you to the helm today and now you have it out of your system and you can go back to focusing on what's important. This war could be ending soon and in order to end it, we need you. Okay?"

Seamus nodded and stood, bringing Ginny with him. He turned to face Draco and held out his hand. "Sorry," he grumbled.

"'S okay," Draco said hoarsely. Ginny smiled at him. He gave a small smile in return.

"Seamus, I think you ought to go to the hospital wing for a Calming Draught," Ginny stated, releasing herself from Seamus.

Seamus nodded and trudged off. George accompanied him. Ginny immediately ran and knelt beside Blaise along with Padma. "Z? Z? Are you okay?" she asked frantically.

Blaise groaned. "He threw me into the wall with a spell. I don't think anything is broken but it hurts!" Ginny giggled slightly. "Draco's the one the bloke's ill with and _I_ get the pounding!"

Draco grabbed the wand he had dropped when Seamus attacked and joined Ginny, murmuring "_Levicorpus_."

"I'll take him to his room and get him a Pepper-Up. He'll be good as new in no time," Draco said, brushing a strand of Ginny's hair out of her face. "I'll catch up with you later."

xxx

Upon leaving Blaise, who was now resting nicely in his bed with Padma tending to him, Draco figured he'd head back to the Potions room and finish his work there.

As he exited the Slytherin common room, he was met by two tall, lanky redheads. The twins. He sighed. Time to _really_ face up, he thought.

"So, we get that you share this _bond_ or whatever with our sister," one of them said. Draco decided he was Fred.

"And she seems to care for you a great deal," the one who would, then, be George said.

"You should know that no one has turned her head since her husband died."

"And the fact that you have…well you should thank your lucky stars."

"Tell me something I don't know," sighed Draco. What exactly did they want?

"We've seen how she acts with you. She's happy." This was the Fred one.

"Which makes us happy," said the George one.

"And if she's happy and we're happy, our family is happy."

"We're all one big, happy family." George grinned but there was a twist in it. Draco tilted his head to the side.

"But one false move and we're your worst nightmare pal," Fred stated in a warning tone.

"If Ginny's unhappy, you'll be even _more_ unhappy." And with that, the twins were gone, back up the hallway, pushing and shoving one another as they had some sort of silly exchange. Draco shook his head. Just what had he gotten himself into?


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks to Tearful Moon for a great beta! Sorry thishas taken so long to get up. I reckon about 2 or more chapters and it will be finito. Comments appreciated... this chapter gets kinda weird and a bit naughty

xxx

Chapter 8

Ginny lay spread out across her bed, head and arm draped over Draco's firm abdomen. She listened to the sounds of his heartbeat and breathing while he stroked her hair. It was early morning on the day Harry and the others were to return.

The past few days had been busy and exhausting, leaving their only alone time at night in bed. Ginny's mother had made a flippant remark or five about her sharing a bed with a man whom was not her husband. Ginny ignored her remarks, instead making comments about how good she'd been feeling lately or how well she had been sleeping. Molly would promptly stop her commenting.

Draco had taken up residence in Ginny's room, occasionally saying that perhaps they should find a different room on more 'common ground,' as he put it. By that she knew he meant somewhere that was not the room she had shared with her late husband, as well as a room that had been neither Gryffindor nor Slytherin.

"What do you think the big plan is?" Draco asked, propping himself up on his elbows and forcing Ginny to sit up.

"I can't even begin to fathom. They know you are here though."

"Potter you mean?" Draco asked. Ginny nodded. "I guess that's why they wanted me to go over those Durmstrang schematics and list locations of weapons, guards on the perimeter and such."

"I guess so." Ginny, bored with this topic, decided to distract Draco. She knew he was nervous about seeing his old enemies, though he would never admit it. Ginny pushed him back down onto the bed and assaulted him with kisses and let her hands do things she knew he would respond to.

Ginny never felt sated with Draco. She always wanted to get him alone in a closet or empty room or into bed. They had had each other on many surfaces in the Castle by now and had only been together for a week or slightly less. Draco was always ready for her and was always concerned with her pleasure, not just his own.

Afterwards, Ginny slipped out of the bed and headed for the shower. "Where are you going so quickly?" Draco asked, seeing her grab a robe and towel.

"To shower of course. You could use one too but if you join me, we'll be late." She grinned.

Draco launched from the bed and tackled her to the floor.

"You're right. We'll be late," he remarked as he pinned her wrists above her head. "I guess I'm going first!" he said as he jumped up and beat her to the bathroom, locking the door and leaving Ginny to pound on it while cursing at him and laughing.

xxx

Everyone sat anxiously in the Great Hall finishing breakfast, awaiting the arrival of the guests. Ginny heard a commotion in the hallway and guessed it to be Fred and George tackling Ron and Harry. She was right. Laughter erupted as the doors opened to reveal Fred, Harry, Ron and George all in compromising-looking positions while Hermione blushed in embarrassment nearby.

Draco was surprised to see how each of them had grown. Harry was much taller and more filled out. His hair was still shaggy but longer than Draco could ever recall it. He was missing his trademark glasses.

Ron was even taller than Harry, but still very thin and lanky. He hair was messy and not quite as long as Harry's. It had not turned a prettier shade of red like Ginny's: his hair was still a gaudy orange.

Hermione had probably changed the most:her once wild hair was tamed into a short cut that framed her face, which was much prettier than Draco remembered. She was shorter than either boy and probably slightly shorter than Ginny but she was thin and lithe. Her skin held a healthy glow that had surely come from spending some time in the sun.

"Different than you remember, yeah?" Ginny asked as she nudged him.

"Yeah. Where's Scar— I mean, where are Potter's glasses?"

"He's got these things called 'contacts' now. They are like little glasses you put on your eyeball."

Draco winced. That did not sound pleasant. "Granger looks much better."

Ginny smiled. "Most people get better with age, well after school age that is." Draco gave her a mock scowl.

"Settle down everyone! Settle down," Minerva McGonagall called as she motioned the returning guests to the front of the Great Hall. "We will have time for reunions later. As of this moment, we've serious matters to discuss. Harry, would you like to start?"

Harry nodded while making his way to the front, shaking a few hands and receiving a few hugs. Draco rolled his eyes. It was just as he remembered. Even if the Boy Who Lived had not won yet, he was still a hero.

"Er, hi everyone. Good to be back; we've so much to tell you that I don't even know where to begin." Harry looked around sheepishly.

Draco leaned to whisper in Ginny's ear. "Still all humble and shy, I see." Ginny elbowed him again, but gave him a small grin.

"Well, I guess I should start by saying that we have a great lot to prepare for. We're going to be joined by nearly one-hundred American wizards in a few days." Harry paused to let that statement sink in.

Immediately, whispering voices could be heard all over the Great Hall. "We're going to need their help for the plan I have. We've been working closely with a group of American wizards who work with the government and the military. Most American Muggles are not aware of the existence of wizards, but a small sect of their government is and they've utilized wizards and wizarding techniques for military purposes." This statement, again, set off a whirl of whispers throughout the hall.

"We will be employing a Muggle method in the attack. It is something we have been working on and planning for quite some time now. The information we have received from Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy," Harry searched the Hall until Draco was sure he had spotted Ginny and himself, "has given us the necessary schematics of Durmstrang and some information as to when a good time of attack would be."

"More details will be given in time.There will be a lot to learn. A special spell will be needed for what we have planned and we have spent months working on it. Many special potions— some of which I understand you have already begun to make, will be needed. Our first order of business will be to prepare for our guests and finish the potions.. Again, we will be hosting an extra one-hundred people. We need every available room and bed. I expect some old classrooms are still empty and those can be used as personal quarters. We will need extra potions and medicinal supplies."

Draco quit listening at this point and looked around him at the faces glowing happily now that Harry and his group had returned. 'This could really be it,' he thought. 'This nightmare might almost be over and I might be able to salvage a normal life.'

xxx

Ginny approached Harry, Ron and Hermione shortly after Harry's speech was done. She held Draco's hand tightly in hers and he gripped tightly back.

"Ginny!" Ron's face lit up and he darted for her, grabbing her and pulling her hand loose from Draco's. "We were so afraid once we heard you'd been captured, _again_," he added the last word disapprovingly.

"Now Ron, we all know how capable Ginny is of taking care of herself!" Hermione scolded.

"What's this, then?" Ron said as he let Ginny go and gestured to the hand Draco once more had hold of.

"This," Ginny motioned between herself and Draco, "is me taking care of myself and making myself happy."

Harry, Ron and Hermione had obviously not been told of the relationship that now existed between Ginny, beloved little sister, and Draco Malfoy, former enemy.

"I'm a might bit happy as well," Draco stated boldly.

Ron simply dropped his jaw, staring back and forth between the two. Hermione studied them both before smiling and shrugging. Harry made no face whatsoever. He simply gave a little tilt of his head and gripped Ron's arm, holding him back as though he knew what was coming.

"Hey, little bro!" called Fred, joining in the group. "So, before you pounce on the big, bad Malfoy, you may as well know Ginny's happy and fine and Malfoy's not so bad himself."

"Besides, we took the liberty of giving him a good talking to so he'll be sure to stay in line," George added. Ron turned and stalked away. Hermione gave a nervous laugh and hugged Ginny, then extended her hand to Draco. He took it grudgingly.

"Ron just needs a bit of time is all," she said. Draco nodded and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"He can bloody well get over it. There are far more important things to worry about than my sex li— er, _my_ life." Ginny blushed furiously and noticed a small blush rise on Hermione's face, as her eyes grew wide. Hermione cleared her throat and excused herself from the group, leaving only Harry, the twins, Draco and Ginny to stand around awkwardly.

"Well, I mean I'm grown now. I've been married. I'm allowed to—" Draco cupped his hand over her mouth and dragged her backwards.

"I think Ginny has some things to attend to. Nice seeing you," Draco said shortly as he escorted Ginny out of the Great Hall.

Ginny flailed her arms wildly, giggling as Draco shoved her into a nearby classroom. He locked the door with a wave of his arm and immediately attacked her neck with his lips, swiftly removing her robes.

"Draco!" she shrieked.

"I have never," Draco said between nips and kisses, "been as turned on by anyone as I was just now when you flaunted our relationship— and our sex life— in front of Potty and the Weas—, er, Potter and your brother!" He slowly pulled the Muggle trousers she called sweat pants down her legs.

"Oh?" she grinned slyly. "So this is my reward, huh?" she whispered, nipping at his ear. He moaned into her neck. "I guess I'll have to keep it up when they are around, eh?" she gasped as she felt him push into her.

A few frantic thrusts and heavy breaths later, the couple was sated for the moment and there came a knock at the door. They looked at each other wide-eyed and dressed quickly. Upon stepping out, they discovered the knocker to be Blaise.

"Honestly you two!" Blaise snickered as he fell into step with them. "Throw up a silencing ward next time! You're lucky most everyone is still in the Hall with the late arrivals."

Ginny blushed and Draco smirked. "It's not like I haven't walked in on you and Padma, Z. I had trouble pushing that frightful sight out of my mind for quite some time. I still have nightmares!" Ginny giggled, still blushing wildly.

"Oh Ginny, you know you dream about it, er, well you _did_ until Draco came along." Blaise corrected himself when he caught Draco's glare.

xxx

A few days later, Ron still scowled every time he saw Draco and Ginny. Hermione and Harry were subtler about how they felt towards the couple.

Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall to welcome the American wizards that Harry brought in to help. Harry had been talking to various groups of the Order, which were assigned to different tasks.

The sound of multiple sets of footsteps announced the arrival of their guests. As the doors to the Great Hall opened, Ginny saw a large group of oddly-clad men and women— no doubt American simply by their appearance— led in by Ron and Hermione.

"Ah!" Harry called as he clapped his hands together once and sped towards the front of the hall to sound a welcome from the podium. "Our guests have arrived! Since there is no way to make introductions and expect everyone to remember names, magical nametags are going to be put on all your robes, etcetera. That way, we won't just say, 'hey you there!' So, let's all tuck in and then after dinner we will get down to business.

Ginny saw Draco eye the American wizards disdainfully. "Draco! Quit staring!" she hissed.

"What? I mean look at how they dress? It's an utter disgrace. Almost worse than Mug— er…. um…" Ginny stared him down until he nearly cowered before her. "What I meant was… they don't appear to have the refined taste in couture that I am used to. However, I am sure they are all very well and good," he finished through clenched teeth. Ginny smiled at him and nodded. He rolled his eyes and reluctantly decided to keep his mouth shut on the subject of the American wizards.

As they were finishing dessert, Harry once more took center stage. "Well, that was lovely, wasn't it?" He seemed almost nervous. Ginny supposed he ought to be. This could very nearly be the end… in one way or another, she supposed.

"So, I think all of you would like to know about the big plan." Nodding and whispering was heard.

"Oh, do get on with it!" Draco said under his breath. As if on cue, Ginny elbowed him and he gave her a rather snide glare then tickled her in return.

"Well, we've weighed a lot of options and we think we've found one that will get the job done and not require too much clean up on our end— you know, of Muggle memories and such. The United States Government has given us something. The tricky part is that we've got to be there when it, er, hits yet we've also got to shield ourselves from its effects. That's what has taken us so long: coming up with the shield."

"What _is_ he on about?" Draco whispered, leaning in to her ear. Ginny glared and he sat back up straight.

"Let me give you a more visual explanation." With a wave of Harry's wand, a large white sheet fell from the ceiling and it appeared as though a Muggle film were playing on it. There was a _whizz_, then a _boom,_ and all of a sudden there was a large cloud of fire resembling a mushroom. "This is the effect of what is known as a nuclear bomb. We're going to drop one on Durmstrang," Harry said matter-of-factly.

"Observe this… mushroom cloud, if you will. The air in the cloud carries a harmful byproduct of the bomb known as radiation. Radiation is lethal, to Muggle and Wizard alike. We must throw up a shield around Durmstrang to keep the radiation in and protect not only ourselves but also any Muggles within five hundred kilometers of the area."

The Hall had gone completely silent by this point. Ginny looked at Draco to see that even he had no comment. He simply sat there with his mouth gaping open and his eyes wide. He slowly moved his gaze to her eyes. She frowned slightly and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back.

"We've been doing some testing on a smaller scale and have come up with a spell for a shield. We've also created some potions that should help prevent radiation infection. We've got only three days to learn and practice the shield and make all the potions so we've our work cut out for us. However, I have no doubt that we can accomplish this and end the war. Are you with me?" Harry exclaimed. A roar went up in the Hall after a slight pause and lots of exchanged glances.

"Are you with me?" Harry yelled as he jumped down and ran around the room. The crowd continued to roar.

"He's gone 'round the bin," Draco remarked as he slowly joined Ginny and everyone else in the Hall in standing. He clapped his hands lightly.

Ginny looked at him and smiled. She knew he thought it was a good plan. Certainly a plan that Voldemort and his lot would never expect. But he couldn't very well portray how he really felt about it, now could he?

Draco caught her knowing grin and wiggled his eyebrows, sticking his tongue out at her.

"Is that a threat or a promise, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked with an even slyer grin. Draco's eyes widened and he reached for her arm. "Be patient. I am sure the meeting is very nearly over with," she said as she swatted at his arm.


End file.
